THE SOTREO ZATRA

The zatra, which takes place around December/January every year, is also
known as sotreo after the brightly-coloured, heavily bedecked umbrellas
which are carried in a procession. The procession winds through at least
six kilometers of impossibly narrow village lanes and thorny forest bushes,
making stops at different houses, even some belonging to Catholics. The
procession is said to be a tracing of the route by which the idol was
transported to its current site centuries ago. The palanquin of the deity
is taken to the original site of the temple demolished by the Portuguese
during the Cuncolim Revolt. The procession led by 12 umbrella carrying men
representing the 12 communities of Cuncolim, whose ancestors had moved the
idol to Fatorpa. Then, it's taken back to the present-day temple complex.
(Link:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/The-goddess-of-dreams/articleshow/41813057.cms
)



Sources claim the Zatra procession with drum sounds/shields stopped for
rest at Velliapura Royal residence at Kadamba King Jayakeshi I Royal
compound at Velim, before they proceeded to Assolna, the end point, via a
place now known as 'bostoli suvaat.' Oral tradition has it that some
Portuguese priests or St. Francis Xavier himself lived in an outhouse room
in 1530s and because of this the procession route was diverted to another
way and the room was called 'bostoli suvaat' and nobody used that
room/place at the outer boundary of the village until villagers agreed to
build a church there. When time came to name the church the Carambolim
settlers in Velim wanted to name the church after St. John Baptist but
Velim villagers objected and named the church as St. Francis Xavier.

Any feedback on this will be appreciated.

MD

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